Author's Note: Hey, Peeps. Guess who's back? Me, your favorite author and I know you've been dying without me here, lol. Kidding (not about the being back part of course). My vacation went well but it was way too hot. Got sunburn on the top of my head, ouch, lol. So it's good to be back.
Quick Disclaimer: Some quotations from this chapter are borrowed from some different episodes throughout Charmed.
Now on with the story so here we go
Chapter 17: A Prue from the Past
The dream started like all the others.
After another emotionally draining day, she drifted off into a deep sleep. A sleep that she welcomed until the flashes invaded her dreams disturbing the peaceful slumber, a slumber she so desperately sought to immerse herself within. It was like watching a picture show in slow motion.
Prue tossed back and forth on the bed. The darkness surrounded her. During sleep, it felt like a vortex sucking her in and she had no way of escaping its pull. Slowly, the sensation ceased and she could hear the sound of a baby crying; however, she still couldn't make out anything nor anyone. Her mind was like a blank canvas. Then as the darkness began to fade and merge with forming images, she found herself suddenly re-experiencing a moment from her own childhood.
(Memory Flash)
Seven-year-old Prue tossed back and forth in her bed. She held on tightly to her giant teddy bear, a gift from her father, whom she hadn't seen since her mother's passing a few months ago. Why did everybody she love leave her? Had she done something wrong to make them go away?
"Grams?" the little girl called out from her sleep. "Please make it go away," came the plea.
Grams entered the room after hearing the whimpering sounds coming from her young granddaughter's bedroom. She gently walked across the floor not wanting to wake up her other two sleeping grandchildren. She sat on the edge of the bed placing the back of her hand against Prue's forehead feeling for a temperature. The little girl was tossing and turning in her sleep with small beads of sweat forming at the top of her head. It was soaking the edges of her hair.
"Prudence," Grams whispered, with a gentle shake against her small body in an attempt to rouse her from her nightmare. The nightmares had become more and more frequent since her mother's passing.
"Make it stop, Grams," young Prue muttered. "Make the crying go away."
(End)
In her sleep, Prue actually now remembered that indistinguishable baby cry. It happened a lot during those early days after Patty's death. Then the dreams began to fade. What had it meant? She didn't have much longer to dwell on it though as she was instantly pulled into another dream flashback.
(Memory Flash # 2)
A teenaged version of Prue stood in a school gym in front of the bleachers. A teenaged boy stood in front of her.
Andy?
Yes, it was Andy. She would recognize that face anywhere; however, they appeared to be engaged in a heated discussion about something. They were drawing a lot of attention as other students either entered the gymnasium or peeked through the large double doors to eavesdrop.
What was he saying?
Ah, yes. He was trying to break up with her. Prue remembered the stinging feeling his words brought to her heart that day but there was something else. Something she wasn't telling him but wanted to. She felt forced to keep the secret and she could remember the feelings of guilt and loneliness that accompanied it.
Why couldn't she remember what it was?
"Prue? I ... " Andy began. His feet shuffled against the floor and his hands were thrust into the pockets of his jeans. He refused to look Prue in the eyes while his voice wavered. "I just think it would be better if we broke it off now. While there's still a friendship to save."
Prue felt her eyes misting over.
No, that's not what she really wanted. How could he think that abandoning them would be better but then she quickly reminded herself wasn't that the problem? He didn't know anything. She used her shirt sleeve, in a rough manner, to wipe against her eyes. She wasn't going to give him any satisfaction in seeing her cry. However, she could still hear the cracking of her voice as she attempted to protest the decision.
"Friends?" teenaged Prue spat out in disgust. "Didn't we pass that a long time ago?"
Andy glanced away, looking a little guilty.
"Hey, no worries, I get it," she huffed folding her arms. "Why do you need me anymore when Becky Malone is waiting in the wings?"
Becky Malone was a graduating senior member and co-captain from their high school cheerleading squad. Kind of stuck up. Kind of rich because her daddy owned one of the newest and upcoming trendy clothing lines in modern retail. Granted, her valley girl impressions weren't as annoying as some of the other girls from the clique but Prue still had an axe to grind with her nevertheless.
Prue had been on the cheerleading squad the entirety of junior year and Becky made it no point to hide the fact that she had a huge crush on Andy. Prue had also made the unfortunate mistake of going to one of Becky's house parties on a Friday evening. She had only been gone about fifteen minutes for a quick bathroom break only to return and encounter an unsettling scene taking place. Becky and Andy were standing close together on the huge patio, a little too close, Prue had observed. She was clearly drunk and not in control of any inhibitions as she openly flirted, running a finger down Andy's chest. She was swaying a bit but held her drink of choice firmly in one hand. Suddenly, she quickly leaned in and planted a kiss on Andy's lips. To his credit, Andy did appear quite taken aback by the unexpected contact and then gently shoved her away.
Prue was pissed. She then reached out and grabbed for the nearest cup from the hand of one of the teenagers standing close by.
"Hey!" they had protested.
Prue marched over to Becky and Andy and immediately threw the cup of alcohol in Becky's face. Shocked, she jumped back and began cursing.
Needless to say, that was the last time Prue and Becky ever socialized.
However, in their present moment, Andy appeared genuinely hurt by her accusation. "There isn't anybody else!" he had defended himself loudly.
"Then, what, you're breaking up with me because you already got to sleep with me?" came her next accusation.
Andy flinched.
"Am I too boring for you now?" she was becoming angry.
"Stop!" he demanded.
Their eyes locked. Prue exhaled a deep breath and took a moment to put her emotions in check. She knew it was mean to throw that out because Andy had never been that kind of boyfriend. Not by a long shot but she couldn't help it. Her emotions felt like they were on a rollercoaster ride she couldn't get off of, she wasn't feeling much like herself these days, and Andy deciding to break up with her on the last day of school was the final straw.
"You honestly believe I used you like that?" he demanded. "Why did you stay with me?"
Prue stared at him with her arms crossed.
"I've always cared about you. A lot. Before we even started dating. I love you. That hasn't changed. But now," he shook his head, looking away. "Now I'm wishing we never even crossed that line," he finished.
"You love me," Prue repeated. "You still love me but you want to break up with me?" she challenged. "That doesn't even make any sense."
"Why are you so surprised anyway?" Andy was frustrated and his tone reflected it. "All we do now is fight about every little thing. And what's with you lately? You've been moody as hell and I don't know what's the right thing to say or do anymore. I think we need a break."
Prue didn't know what to say.
"I mean, c'mon, even your grandmother doesn't want you seeing me anymore. I'm just tired, Prue. Tired of all the sneaking around," he finished venting.
"I've been sneaking around so I could be with you," she defended their actions. Her voice cracked and the tears threatened to resurface. "But I guess that's only my fault. I snuck around by myself?"
"I didn't say that," he boldly declared. "I just don't ... what have I done that's so wrong?" He waited for an answer on why Penny Halliwell suddenly changed her attitude towards him. "You don't have an answer do you?" he pushed.
Prue momentarily contemplated just telling him the truth to help clear up some of the confusion. Would he be angry? Would he still break up with her? He would know the secret and she'd still be left alone. Then she thought to what her grandmother's reaction would be and the wrath she would endure if she found out Prue disobeyed by telling Andy the truth. She loved her grams but she felt nothing but contempt for her right now.
It was all so unfair.
Andy sighed when he received no response back from Prue.
"I don't know," she lied, looking down.
"Listen, you said you're going away for the summer didn't you? And I'm leaving for college in the fall," he continued in a calmer tone. "I still think this is for the best. We'll be apart anyway and it'll give us both some space. Then if it's meant to be, we'll find our way back to each other. Prue, I don't mean to hurt you, but I was hoping maybe we could break it off on friendly terms. I understand if you can't, though. I just don't want us to walk away hating each other," he concluded.
She felt the tears begin to slip out and she needed to get out of the school gym and away from him. Luckily, she noticed her sister Piper just in time who peeked inside of the gym. She appeared to be looking for her.
"I don't hate you," she choked out. "But I have to go," were her final words as she bolted past him, refusing to look him in the eyes.
(End)
There was a secret. What secret? Prue searched her memory banks for the missing link. What had all that meant? However, her memory failed her and once again her dreaming carried her into another forgotten memory.
(Memory Flashback # 3)
Prue stood in the attic with Piper to one side of her. Phoebe stood in front of her. She was holding a big leather-bound book with a strange looking symbol that graced the cover. Apparently, the three of them were having some sort of debate about the book and what it meant for the three of them.
"Incantation? What incantation?" inquired Piper as she stood with her hands placed against her hips, addressing their youngest sister. "Wait, you included me in this too?" she added as an afterthought.
"No, she included all of us," corrected Prue. "Give the powers to we sisters three," Prue read from the book as she looked up to face Phoebe. "It's a book of witchcraft!"
(End)
Suddenly, various images from her memory meshed all together in a frenzy but Prue had a lot of difficulty making out their significance. It was like trying to put together a puzzle with only half of the pieces there, as if her mind was on fast forward but it kept throwing these jumbled pictures at her over and over again anyway.
(Mixed Memory Flashbacks # 4)
All three sisters held hands in the attic as they chanted in unison.
"The Power of Three will set us Free!" they all chanted together as they watched a man that was not human explode into a mass of nothingness.
A name quickly popped into mind. Jeremy? Piper dated him?
Prue tossed back onto her other side.
Prue stood at the front desk of the hospital emergency room. She was there to check up on Phoebe. When she heard the voice coming from the man standing next to her, she immediately recognized who it was.
"Andy?" she questioned as he turned around to look at her.
"Prue?" he replied back, pleasantly surprised to be running into her. "I can't believe it! How are you?" he asks with a pleased smile plastered on his face.
Prue could hear the faint sound of her name somewhere in the distance. Who was calling for her? But as hard as she tried, her mind wouldn't allow her to break free from her sleep. Suddenly the images turned into a clattering of voices all thrown at her at once. She brought her hands up to protect her ears against the vocal onslaught.
"He's studied you Prue," came the voice of Phoebe.
"What are you hiding Prue?" asked Andy. "Looks like I'm not the only one with a secret!"
"No, you can't be there, Andy," Prue replies. "I would die if anything ever happened to you!"
"Why do you do that?" inquires Phoebe. "You never say I love you back. It's always me too. Have you ever said I love you to anybody?"
"Andy died because of me!" comes Prue's tearful admission. "And it doesn't matter what he said. It's my fault!"
"Prue, I can't believe you would risk your life to impress your boss," scolds Piper.
"Remember when I said you had no vision?" Prue addresses Phoebe. "Well, you will never hear it again. It takes a lot of strength to see what you see."
Piper lies on the hospital stretcher, blood gushing from the bullet wound. Prue's tear-streaked face watches, her own hands soaked with her sister's blood, and she holds onto her sister's hand tightly.
"I love you," comes Piper's last muttered response before dying. This flash is brief and is quickly re-winded back to a point in time that prevented this memory from taking place. So how was she able to remember it?
"This is a joke, right?" comes the voice of Dr. Griffiths. "My second wife put you up to this?"
"Dr. Griffiths, this is anything but a joke," responds Prue.
"Am I dead?" Prue asks the strange man dressed in a robe.
"Prue?" she could hear both of her sisters calling out her name. "Prue ... Prue ... " her name drifted on repeat until she finally woke to the sound of it.
(End)
"PRUE?" came the loud call that finally broke Prue from her deep sleep.
Her eyes shot open and she bolted up in bed, trying to catch her breath. With her hand to her chest, her awareness of her surroundings slowly came into focus. She noticed the woman standing in front of her. It was Piper.
"Are you okay?" Piper inquired a bit uneasily.
Piper had heard the sounds coming from her sister's room as she approached the bedroom door. Immediately, she drew the conclusion that Prue was probably dreaming about the past since the Elders had lifted the memory block a couple days ago. She had walked inside only to find her sister completely immersed in restless sleep.
Before responding, Prue took a few moments to gather her bearings.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she finally answered with a slight nod of her head. Then she closed her eyes to take a deep breath before feeling a small body pounce on the bed near the edge of her feet. When she reopened her eyes, she saw Molly.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you but she had another nightmare and wanted you," Piper explained after Molly had released her hand and jumped onto the bed.
"I want to sleep with you, mommy," came the child's plea.
She crawled up the bed and rubbed against her tired eyes. There were some signs that she had been crying. Prue lifted up the bed covers, providing her daughter the opportunity to snuggle closely beside her. She turned to glance at the small alarm clock which read three in the morning. With downcast eyes, she addressed Piper.
"It's alright, she can stay here with me. Thanks."
"Sure," Piper replied as she made her way to turn around and exit the room. "Let me know if you need anything," she offered upon leaving the room and closing the door.
Prue rested her head gently against her daughter's, contemplating whether or not she should even dare try to get some more sleep. These newly recovered memories were pulling her back into a world she was quite honestly dreading. She understood it was necessary to remember since her survival depended on it but it that didn't make it any easier. It had also been Andy's last request to do what needed to be done and stay safe which was the only promise she had left to keep. In the end, she eventually drifted off into another deep sleep with Molly nestled closely against her, who was battling her own nightmares.
X
As the door clicked shut, Piper reflected on the last couple days.
She had felt torn between trying to comfort and help her older sister or keeping her distance because of the betrayal and those unresolved feelings regarding abandonment. For the first time ever, Piper could truly relate to Prue and why she had always felt the way she did about Victor, their father, abandoning them. Prue had a hard time forgiving him for it but she and Phoebe had opted readily to give him a second chance. But was that only because they were barely old enough to remember anything he did while Prue could remember more? The thought scared Piper because she hated the idea that she could quite possibly resent her older sister for the rest of their lives.
While walking away from the bedroom, the more she thought about what she said upon leaving the bedroom the more she realized how ridiculous it sounded.
Did Prue need anything?
Andy back, Piper. That's what she needs, she told herself.
Prue had kept to herself for the most part during the past couple days by staying in Paige's old room, the same room that actually used to be Prue's. She wouldn't talk about Andy or ask any questions regarding their past together. She would come out to use the bathroom or to join Molly and the rest of the family during meals but other than that there was very little interaction.
As Piper made her way down the hallway, she caught sight of Billie. Clad in a night shirt and pajama bottoms, she was tip-toeing her way back to her bedroom with the Book of Shadows in her arms, clearly trying to avoid running into anybody. She was about to enter Phoebe's old room and hadn't caught sight of Piper watching her.
Great, I wonder what she's getting herself into now?
With a slight roll of her eyes, Piper slowly approached her niece from behind. "Billie?" she hissed in a high-pitched whisper. "What are you doing?"
Billie jumped. She stood frozen in place after being caught in the act and before turning around to face Piper, she closed her eyes and mouthed a 'darn it' to herself. She had waited and figured that everyone would be sound asleep in the early hours of the morning.
Piper cleared her throat loudly from behind.
Finally, Billie turned around with a big smile on her face. "Piper, hey!" she began. "What are you doing up this early you look really really tired?" she nodded her head dramatically feigning concern. It was a failed attempt at taking the attention away from what she was up to.
Piper smiled back. Of course, she wasn't buying the act.
Billie sighed. "I know, I know. Busted."
Piper approached her. "I would say so because I could ask you the same question," she shot back. She reached out for the Book of Shadows. "But nice try. So why exactly do you need this at three in the morning?"
"Uh, well ..." Billie stuttered before deciding to give up the truth. "Look, it's not a big deal. I'm just helping out a friend who ran into some demon trouble. That's all."
"Uh huh," Piper muttered as she nudged Billie into the bedroom following behind her.
"Hey!" Billie squealed upon being forced into the bedroom.
"And what kind of demon trouble would that be?" Piper inquired as she shut the door behind them. "And what friend are we talking about here?"
Billie sighed as Piper opened the book to the page Billie had markered.
"Darklighters?" Piper questioned. "What does a darklighter want with your friend?" She turned a serious eye in her niece's direction.
"I was going to tell you a couple days ago but all that new drama broke out here when I got back to the Manor," Billie began to explain. "Do you remember that guy JD? The same one Paige's father brought to us for help not too long ago?"
"Yeah, I think I remember seeing him. From Leo's body!" Piper cracked, remembering their little mishap in each other's body. She placed the Book down on the bed and sat down next to it. "I thought that poor kid died?" she recalled.
"He did but he's a whitelighter now," Billie explained. "And I need to help him before this darklighter gets to him first," she pled her case. "And I've already waited a couple days after I already promised him," she persisted before being cut off by Piper.
Piper put up her hand. "Billie, that's fine, but from now on check in with us first before you do anything, please? Because if something goes wrong, we might not have any way of knowing until it's too late," she lectured.
"Okay. That's totally fine, I will next time. Promise," Billie nodded her head in acceptance. "I'm really sorry!" she stressed for brownie points.
"Yeah, got it, you're sorry," Piper cracked in good spirits. "You're free to tone it down now with the sucking up," she joked.
Billie was just glad that Piper hadn't completely banned the mission altogether. Besides, she felt like she needed the mission to help take her mind off of the new mind-boggling revelations.
Piper closed the Book of Shadows while she broached the next topic very carefully.
"Billie," she started. "I know this is a sensitive change of subject but have you thought about when you're going to tell Prue who you are? She should be told soon. And I mean soon as in like sometime tomorrow?" her eyes went wide to drive home the point.
Billie clenched her teeth. "Uh," she hesitated before answering. "Are you sure it's the right time? I mean, look at everything that's going on right now. Maybe I should wait until the dust settles a little bit?" she suggested with noticeable apprehension.
This was beyond awkward. Prue had no memory of having her and her presumed biological father, who was now dead again, had no idea she had ever been born.
Piper sighed. "To be honest Billie, I don't think there's ever going to be a right time. Something is always going to come up in our lives. Besides, the longer we put off telling her, the more it'll seem like we've been hiding it from her. Believe me, we don't need any more secrets around here," she stressed.
Billie sighed in resignation. She approached the bed and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, but what am I even supposed to say?" she lamented as she took a seat beside Piper. "I already look stupid for not saying something sooner. And I've been here the past two days eating at a dinner table with her and still didn't say anything," she pointed out.
"Billie, it's okay. Really," Piper tried to reassure her niece. "Phoebe, Paige, and I didn't rush to tell her everything right away either," she admitted. "But we got through telling her and so will you."
Billie thought about what Piper was saying. "I don't know," she muttered, still feeling nervous and unsure.
The new little sister part wasn't so bad. There was quite an age difference but it turned out to be Molly, the cute little girl Phoebe had been fostering and whom she had gotten the opportunity to babysit. Billie knew she had felt a connection to the little girl but at the time had brushed it off. It was strange what fate revealed with time. She had set out on a mission to find a missing sister, one that was lost forever, only to be given back another sister in return.
Piper was sympathetic. "Hey," she continued with a gentle pat on Billie's knee. "If you want us there with you when you break the news we'll be there. No questions asked. But if you want to do it alone that's fine too. Whatever makes it easier for you," she offered as Billie continued to listen. "But we should definitely get it over with as soon as possible," she settled on.
"You make it sound so easy," Billie made a face.
Piper thought about it. "Easy? No."
"And?" Billie pushed. She could tell Piper had more on her mind than what she was saying.
"Honestly, I envy you a bit. You and Paige. The two of you don't have a past with her so you pretty much get a clean slate. Me? I still have to deal with the past before I can move on," Piper sighed.
Billie weighed Piper's dilemma against her own before settling on a compromise.
"How about a little deal then?" Billie suggested with a smirk. "I'll promise to break the news by tomorrow and deal with my fears about it, if you can promise to spend one day alone with her and begin talking everything out. And I mean talking. No running out when things get tough. That way we can both start moving on with the future," she reasoned. "I'll even babysit that day, so what do you say?"
Piper narrowed her eyes playfully. "Hey, I'm the adult here. That means I'm supposed to be the mature one," she teased.
Billie smiled back.
"You drive a tough bargain, Jenkins, but yeah, I suppose I can handle that," Piper finally agreed. After all, they did have to start somewhere, she reasoned to herself. "But I'm going to wait until more of her memories are intact," she concluded. "That way she'll at least know what I'm talking about."
"Agreed," Billie replied. "But I'm going to hold you to it."
Piper smiled. "Yeah, I don't doubt it but right now I'm holding myself to getting some sleep," she yawned and got up from the bed. "I was only up because Molly had another nightmare," she added. "I brought her into Prue."
"How is she?" Billie asked, feeling the concern. "I can't believe she even survived the Underworld on her own," she contemplated in amazement. Molly had been kidnapped by the Underworld and went missing there for at least a year.
"Yeah, well, she is Prue's daughter," Piper cracked. "But thank god she got away on her own because none of us would have known."
Bille was thinking.
Piper looked directly at her. "And you may be her daughter too, my blond friend, but that doesn't make you invincible," she gave her a stern look. "Please be careful with whatever you're doing?" she admonished gently while still relaying a serious message to Billie.
Billie pretended to be offended. "Hey, I know how to be careful."
"Oh, stubborn too," Piper grinned.
Billie smirked, taking it all in stride. Then she thought about how Molly was just reunited with her parents only to lose her father. "It must be confusing for her. Then to lose her dad again."
Piper sighed, crossing her arms in front of her. "Yeah, well, we're going to try and find a way to help Andy," she sounded determined. "It's the least we owe him," she reflected a bit sadly.
"What do you mean?" Billie inquired, genuinely curious.
"We might not have been here today if it hadn't been for him," Piper shared. "Andy died trying to help us," she explained. "And he kept our secret," she added on.
"What? How did it happen?"
"Oh, you know, the usual way," Piper cracked. She sighed. "The gist of it was that a demon was an Internal Affairs agent back when Andy was an Inspector. He used Andy to get access to us. We were still young and inexperienced as witches back then so if Andy hadn't intervened and distracted him here at the house, that demon may have gotten what he came for."
"Wow," came Billie's solemn reply.
"And it was awful for Prue, she couldn't stop blaming herself," Piper shook her head.
Billie looked down. "I guess the magical world isn't very kind to mortal members, huh?" she tried joking with a shrug of her shoulders. She immediately thought of Christy and her adoptive parents.
Piper picked up on where Billie's thoughts had gone. "Billie, it's not your fault. What happened to Christy and your parents? Just like what happened to Andy wasn't Prue's fault. Your parents knew the truth about you and decided to love and care for you anyway. They were aware of the risks. Andy was too when he walked through our front door," she drew the comparison. "We do a lot of good as witches but the bad things still happen."
"Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better about it," Billie shook her head.
"No, you're right, it still sucks," Piper agreed with a nod of her head. She reached down and grabbed the Book of Shadows from the bed. She turned around to open the door, the Book of Shadows in her arms. "Anyway, get some rest. This will still be here later," she lifted the Book into the air.
"Night," was the last word Billie uttered before she heard the sound of the closing door.
X
"My daughter's alive?" Victor exclaimed loudly, while standing in front of his daughter Phoebe who had just broken the news about Prue's return.
He was in a state of utter shock and disbelief.
Phoebe had awoken in the morning and decided to stop at her father's place before heading to work at The Bay Mirror. Piper was still dealing with her unresolved issues about Prue and it wasn't Paige's place to break the news to Victor; therefore, Phoebe felt she was the only one left for the job. She figured it was better to get it out in the open as soon as possible. Later on, she planned on stopping by the Manor to see how things were progressing on the sister front.
Quickly, Victor grabbed for his jacket sprawled across his reclining chair and attempted to walk around his daughter so he could head for the door leading out of his apartment. However, Phoebe blocked his path with her hands up in the air, a gesture meant to stop him from leaving the room.
"Dad, no, wait! You can't just go barging in over there," Phoebe protested.
"Phoebe," her father protested in return. "You can't just drop a bombshell like that on me and expect me to sit around here and wait," he argued, determination evident in his voice. "I'm going over there!"
Victor resumed his steps in the direction of the door and reached for the knob when his daughter tried to dissuade him again.
"Dad! Please," she begged.
When he stopped and turned around, his daughter was walking towards him.
"I need for you to listen to me. I haven't even had the chance to tell the others that I've told you. And Piper's already having a hard enough time dealing with all of this as it is. Prue's still adjusting, we don't even know if she'll remember who you are! I told you, she lost her memory and we don't know how long it's going to take for her to remember everything. She needs some time and space. Especially after Andy was just ripped away from her again," she trailed off.
Victor looked at his daughter's weary expression and just shook his head looking to the ceiling in anger.
"You know," he began. "I get that I should just be grateful to have my daughter back but those guys have really crossed a line this time! How dare they play with people's lives like this? I've had my issues with them before but right now I'd just like to get my hands on them and wring their necks!" he demonstrated with his hands, venting his anger.
Phoebe reached out for her father and pulled him into a hug. "I know Dad," she soothed. "Me too!" Then she broke out of the hug and looked at him.
Victor shook his head once again, giving into his daughter's request. "Just tell her that I love her. Please do that for me?" he pleaded with his youngest daughter.
"Of course, you know I will!" Phoebe assured him as she gave him another hug. "Thanks, Dad. For understanding."
"Yeah, well I feel like I'm on information overload right about now," he remarked as he hugged her back. "A daughter, a granddaughter ... " he trailed off.
"Two," Phoebe put up her fingers, as she pulled back.
"Right," Victor nodded incredulously. "And don't you have a wedding you should be planning for anyway?" he teased, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "I'd like to know when I should be prepared to walk my daughter down the aisle."
Phoebe laughed. "Dad? You should know by now that it's not going to be that easy. Remember Piper's wedding? And poor Paige had to throw out her engagement dinner and threw it into a quickie wedding," she half-joked. "And I'm not even sure whether or not Prue and Andy ever had a real one," she added.
Victor gave a smile of understanding and watched as Phoebe slung her purse strap over her right shoulder.
"Anyway, I have to get to the office but we'll be in touch and keep you updated with what's going on," she reassured him. "I promise. Try not to worry," she finished.
Victor nodded.
Phoebe quickly leaned over and placed a light kiss on her father's cheek. Then she headed for the door and exited the apartment leaving an anxious Victor behind.
X
Prue flushed the toilet and approached the sink.
"Does memory return come with morning sickness?" she looked at herself in the mirror. She hadn't even felt like this while pregnant with actual morning sickness. She hoped nothing bad happened to her when she was being held hostage in the Underworld.
Turning on the faucet, she cupped some water in her hand and brought it to her mouth. She quickly rinsed and spit it out. She then flicked the light switch off on her way out of the bathroom. She had woken up feeling extremely nauseous again.
Her nerves were at an all-time high and these dreams that continued to invade her sleep only served to make her feel more anxious by morning. It wasn't giving her much opportunity to get the much-needed rest her body was craving more and more lately. Now, she even had the additional added stress of figuring out how she was going to financially support herself and her daughter all by herself. Being jobless and dependent upon some distant sisters for their support was a big no-go and to say it didn't sit well with her would be putting it mildly. During her other life, she had agreed to stay at home and raise Molly while Andy worked. At the time, it hadn't really bothered her that much but now she felt different. That other life had been a made-up identity. It wasn't really her. Perhaps it was a sign that parts of her old personality were finally emerging?
While Prue exited the bathroom deep in thought, she hadn't noticed Billie rounding the corner for the bathroom. They bumped into each other.
"Oh!" they both exclaimed simultaneously.
"Wow, oh my god, I am so sorry!" Billie jumped right in to apologize.
"No, my fault, I wasn't really paying attention," Prue quickly offered as she bent down to retrieve the small squeezable container of toothpaste and the toothbrush Billie had dropped after their collision.
Billie swallowed and stared uneasily. Piper said there would probably be no right time so should she just break the news here? It was a fleeting thought though. The moment passed and she lost the courage to do so.
Prue stood facing her again. "Here you go," she extended her hand and offered the dental hygiene products back to Billie. She gave a small smile.
Billie hesitated before reaching out for them. Finally, she did. "Thanks," she replied meekly. "Running late for my morning class," she explained with a nervous laugh while lifting her toothpaste and toothbrush in the air. She lowered her gaze and moved around Prue to make her way into the bathroom. "See you later," came her parting remark as the door closed behind her.
"Yeah, sure," Prue muttered in front of the closed door. She shook her head slightly and turned in the direction of her bedroom.
That was a little strange.
X
"Arrow!" Paige yelled out as the darklighter's crossbow released the arrow in her direction. Her call sent the arrow flying back in his direction as his dark orbs engulfed him causing him to vanish before it made contact. The arrow made impact with the wall instead.
This was just what she had been looking forward to on an early weekday morning, she thought sarcastically. Paige had heard the cry for help while driving to work when the familiar jingling sensation pierced her senses. She had tracked the young charge to an abandoned warehouse on the east side of town. Of course, it was conveniently located in the opposite direction of her job and now she was definitely going to be late.
"Great," she muttered to herself at her failed attempt to vanquish the darklighter. She proceeded to turn around to confront the young charge who stood hiding behind one of the large steel pillars centered throughout the structure. "It's alright. He's gone!" Paige announced as she walked in the girl's direction.
Slowly, the young woman peeked around the corner while taking cautious steps forward.
"What if he comes back?" she questioned nervously.
"Then don't be afraid to call," Paige offered. "Now where do you live, um," she hesitated for a moment. "What exactly is your name again?" she prodded.
"Tiffany," the girl answered her.
"Right, Tiffany. Well, Tiffany, then I should definitely be getting you back home," Paige insisted. Then she looked around as another thought crossed her mind. "Hey, how did you get all the way out here anyway?" she questioned the young woman.
The young woman smiled at Paige and then closed her eyes. She dematerialized into a flurry of blue and white orbs reappearing into the same position she had been standing in before. Paige flinched and was suddenly taken aback at the sight of Tiffany disappearing and reappearing before her.
"Wait a minute!" Paige exclaimed. "You're a whitelighter?"
"Yes," the girl admitted. "I heard a call and thought I was coming to help a charge," she explained to Paige. "Only, when I got here, there was nobody around. Until he appeared out of nowhere and I realized it was a trap. But by then, it was too late. So, I sent out a cry for help hoping that someone would hear my call. And you did. Thank you," she offered with a sigh of relief.
"You're welcome," Paige replied back. "But how is a darklighter able to fake cries of help coming from charges?" she pondered out loud.
And like we need this problem added to our already full plate she thought to herself. As it was, they were already dealing with Prue trying to recover her lost past so that they could begin preparing for how to defeat the Triad. Again.
"We don't know," Tiffany answered truthfully, with a shrug of her shoulders. "This has been happening to a lot of us. Some of us have already been taken out," she admitted sadly with a shake of her head. "But the problem is we have no real way of knowing because it could really be a charge in need of our help."
Paige acknowledged the dilemma right away. Every time they were hearing a call it could be a charge who really needed help but, on the other hand, there was the risk that each call was just a trap luring in another whitelighter. Immediately, she thought about her father Sam. Maybe he had some idea about what was going on and she could ask him about it? After all, she was part whitelighter so this problem affected her too.
"Okay, look, just be careful," Paige advised the young whitelighter standing before her. "I'll see what I can find out about all this," she declared.
"I definitely will," Tiffany readily agreed. "And thanks again," she offered as she orbed away leaving Paige alone to contemplate the entire situation.
X
Prue sat on the bedroom floor emptying boxes that contained some of her old belongings from the past. It was sometime in the afternoon and she realized that the boxes contained keepsakes that her sisters held onto in honor of her memory. One of the items inside a box was a portfolio collection. Apparently, they were pictures that she herself had taken while working as a photographer for 415 Magazine. She was impressed by the quality of the work and now understood why she had expressed an interest in the profession while living as Marie. Perhaps there was a chance she could look up her old job?
Suddenly, she was startled by the sound of the door bolting open as a clearly preoccupied Paige entered the room.
Upon noticing Prue on the floor, she froze. "Oh? Sorry!" she declared. "That was rude of me. I, uh, probably should have knocked first," she offered up uneasily.
"No, it's fine," Prue offered as she got up from the floor, using her hands to brush off the back of her pants in the process. "It's, uh, Paige, right?" She hadn't seen much of the two other sisters since a couple days ago.
"That's me!" Paige confirmed with an awkward laugh, a bit nervous about where this conversation would lead.
Prue offered a small smile in her direction while placing her two hands inside of the back pockets of her pants. "Look, I realize things have been a little crazy the past few days or so but I really did want to thank you," she began.
Paige openly relaxed. "Thank me? For what?" she felt a little perplexed.
"Well, for starters, sticking up for me and Andy when those Elders took him away," she opened up. "But also, for going out of your way and helping me out that night when I had nowhere else to go. Thank you," Prue offered with sincerity.
Paige felt a rush of euphoria overtake her. These past couple days she had actually been dreading the idea of facing her oldest sister again. After all, she had been the one to give Prue that god awful advice to have faith in the greater good when it came to her relationship with Andy. Then no less than a few hours later, the greater good snatches him away in a heartbeat. She honestly felt like kicking herself for it but, instead, here Prue was thanking her for all her help. It made Paige feel better. She relaxed.
"Nah, it was nothing," Paige humbly accepted her sister's gratitude by waving it off. "Besides, what are sisters for, right?" she shrugged.
"Right. I guess." Prue sighed and looked around the room. "So, uh, maybe I can return the favor and help you? Was there something in here you were looking for?" she asked the woman she had come to learn was her youngest sister. "And sorry about the mess," she apologized while bending over and returning the scattered items back into the boxes.
"Not a problem. It's technically your room again so ... " Paige started. "Well, actually, I was looking for the Book of Shadows but I can't seem to find it," she jumped in and began explaining. "We usually keep it up in the attic but it's not there. I thought maybe Piper or Billie left it somewhere," she continued.
The questioning look on Paige's face stopped her cold.
"Oh, right, duh Paige, you probably don't remember what that is," Paige remarked, suddenly feeling stupid. "See, um, the Book of Shadows is like a ... witch's bible," she settled on. "It contains all this important information on demons that may attack and tells us how to vanquish them with different spells or potions of sorts. It's been in our family for generations," she finished explaining to her.
Prue listened and thought about it. "The Book of Shadows," she repeated as she suddenly recalled one piece of information retrieved from her dream last night.
Incantation? What incantation? Wait, you included me in this too? No, she included all of us. Give your powers to we sisters three? It's a book of witchcraft.
It was odd but the feeling hit Prue like a ton of bricks. This feeling of familiarity overtook her about the Book. She remembered what it looked like, what it was supposed to contain, and she even maintained a personal sense of having used it before. She even remembered the unique symbol found on the cover.
"The Triquetra," Prue blurted out without thinking. "The symbol on the cover. I remember the Book," she exclaimed more to herself rather than Paige.
Paige was startled for a brief moment. "You do?" she asked.
"Yeah, I do," Prue answered back.
Prue began looking around the room in search of it. After looking under the bed and finding no traces of it there, she proceeded to open the closet door and look inside. When she found no evidence of it located there, her next destination was the dresser drawers. She had brushed by Paige, who stood motionless, completely baffled by her oldest sister's new obsession with recovering the Book of Shadows.
"Prue," Paige began cautiously, watching her sister's frantic movements. "Maybe you should let me try and find it first. Then we can look over it together," she suggested with some unease.
However, her suggestion went unheard as Prue brushed by Paige again, this time out the door and into the hallway.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Paige demanded as she followed behind her.
"You said the Book of Shadows is kept in the attic, right?" Prue asked over her shoulder, as she continued in her long and determined strides down the hall.
"Um, yeah, but I already said it wasn't there," Paige answered with a confused shake of her head. She tried to keep up the pace. Geez, why couldn't Piper or Phoebe be here at a time like this, she thought. I have no idea how to handle this!
Prue bolted up the stairs leading to the attic as Paige still trailed from behind.
Paige stopped. She turned around with Prue already out of sight. "Piper, get home!" she spoke into the air before resuming her steps up the attic stairs.
Prue was in the throes of a determined search as Paige entered the attic.
"Where's Piper anyway?" she decided to ask Prue.
"Uh, not sure. She said something about dropping the kids off somewhere and then something about a doctor's appointment."
Uh oh, was something wrong with the baby? Paige's concern immediately drifted to their welfare. She hoped nothing was wrong with either of them. It was kind of soon for another check-up.
"Well, did she say when she'd be back?" Paige inquired as Prue walked in the direction of the podium.
"Paige, look, I have no idea," Prue answered back in a distracted manner as she stopped in front of the podium.
A podium without a book.
Prue slowly placed her hand on the surface of the small wooden structure. Paige stood by silently watching the scene before her. However, within mere seconds, both women were broken from the distraction when a man with dark hair and an evil glare suddenly orbed into the manor attic in front of them. His black orbs faded as he produced his crossbow and was preparing to aim it in the direction of Paige.
"We meet again witch!" the darklighter addressed Paige with a snare. "Too bad your whitelighter half led me straight to you!" he mocked, referring to the unique ability of whitelighters and darklighters sensing each other. He was so engrossed in his mockery towards Paige that he barely noticed the presence of Prue. That was until he went to fire his crossbow in Paige's direction and she intervened.
"HEY!" Prue shouted as she instinctively waved her hand and sent the crossbow flying out of his hands and onto the floor.
The startled darklighter looked to the ground and then to Prue.
"Well. What do we have here?" he mocked again. "Another witch?" Then upon observing her more closely, the darklighter drew his own conclusions. "Ah! I guess the rumors are true. You are alive. Which makes four Charmed Ones," he concluded. "Soon to be two," he added with an evil grin.
Prue boldly stepped forward in his direction. "No, you're going to leave us alone!" she declared with a deadly determination.
"Is that so?" the darklighter sneered, beginning to laugh.
"Prue? Don't!" Paige tried to warn her sister off. There was no way she was ready to take on demons, let alone darklighters, by herself. Not yet.
"Try and stop me!" the darklighter baited Prue.
Paige watched as the darklighter averted his gaze in the direction of the crossbow sprawled on the floor and immediately she called out for it. "Crossbow!" she shouted out, as it materialized into an array of blue and white orbs.
But it was too late. Paige had taken the bait and while she distracted herself with calling out for the crossbow, the darklighter was provided with the opportunity to summon his real crossbow. He aimed it at Prue and fired. The crossbow lying on the floor had been an illusion and when it failed to reappear in Paige's hand, it was only then she had realized the truth. Her eyes widened in horror and they quickly darted to Prue, who was falling to the ground while the darklighter was now aiming the real crossbow in her direction. He shot at Paige.
"Arrow!" Paige reacted quickly by calling for it and sending it back in the darklighter's direction.
Once again, the darklighter escaped by orbing out, his crossbow still in hand. At this very moment, that was not Paige's immediate concern. It was for her older sister who lie injured on the ground. Quickly, she rushed to her side.
"Prue!" she shouted as she kneeled down at her side.
"One is good enough for now," had been the darklighter's parting comment when he orbed back into a different position in the attic. "Guess her return was short-lived after all," he then mocked. Paige looked up in his direction, sending him a chilling stare before he faded away.
Prue had felt the sharp tip pierce through her skin upon contact. The stinging sensation erupted into a full-blown burn coursing throughout her entire body, beginning at the point of penetration. Almost instantly, she had clutched her side and had fallen to the floor in agonizing pain.
"Don't," she told Paige when she tried shifting her body weight off of her injured side onto the other side. Sweat was quickly forming at the top of her forehead, matting the edges of her raven-colored hair.
Prue's temperature appeared to be spiking dramatically.
"Prue, I'm sorry, but we can't wait, I need to heal you fast!" Paige declared in a panic. She lifted her sister's shirt to observe the afflicted area. The area surrounding the point of penetration was already inflamed. "You're having a bad reaction to the poison," she determined upon taking in Prue's drastic decline.
The arrow hadn't penetrated too deeply so finding and removing it wasn't going to be the problem. The problem was how they were going to remove the arrow without putting Paige at risk too. Touching the poisoned arrow could be deadly for her. She needed help.
"Leo!" Paige shouted out into the air, hoping that her brother-in-law would heed her call for help. "Leo, we need your help NOW!" she cried. "It's an emergency!"
"Paige," Prue's groggy voice drifted.
She was beginning to lose consciousness and having difficulty holding on. She felt a shortness of breath take root in her chest. Was this it? Was she going to die for real this time? All she could think about was Molly and what this would mean for her daughter. Sure, her sisters would probably see to it and take good care of Molly in the aftermath of her death but she didn't want to leave her at such a young age. Not like her own mother had left her. What about this new power that was needed to defeat some evil Triad? Her sisters wouldn't be able to do it without her. Maybe she'd get to see Andy again?
"Prue?" Paige called out as she watched her sister drift in and out.
Paige couldn't let her give up, they needed her. She needed her and she wasn't going to let death pull her away this soon when she finally got the chance to have her oldest sister in her life.
"Stay with me," Paige instructed. "Just keep looking at me."
Prue tried really hard to remain awake but she just couldn't anymore. Finally, Paige's image transformed into a blurry mass. "I'm sorry. I can't," came her barely audible response. "Molly. Tell her," Prue muttered in bits and pieces before finally losing consciousness. Her eyes closed and her head slumped to the side.
"No! No!" Paige panicked. "Prue, don't!"
Quickly, she bent down and put her ear close to Prue's mouth and chest. Paige sighed with some relief. At least her sister was still breathing, faintly, but still breathing. She also grabbed for her sister's wrist to check for a pulse. It too was faint but still there.
Damn. If her power was more like Prue or Billie's she knew she could probably just move the damn thing right out of her and be done with it.
Where the hell is Billie when you need her?
Paige knew her only option would be to call for the arrow but that also meant the risk of the arrow making contact with her after she called for it. Just as she was about to take the risk, her prayers must have gone answered because she could have sworn, she heard Billie's voice traveling up the staircase.
"Piper? Anybody home?" Billie's voice got louder as she got closer.
Suddenly, Billie entered the attic with the Book of Shadows clad tightly in her arms. A young man walked in with her. However, Paige didn't have time to ponder it or reprimand Billie because her sister's life was at stake. Paige quickly stood on her feet and waved Billie over to her.
"Paige, hey, what's going on," Billie's voice trailed off as she caught Prue lying on the floor and observed Paige's frantic state. Billie quickly threw the Book on the table and walked over. "Oh my god, what happened?" she shrieked.
"Billie, act now, questions later!" Paige instructed with unmistakable urgency laced in between her words. "I need you to use your power to remove the arrow from her side because I can't touch it."
Billie focused and used her hands to push her hair behind her ears as she knelt down beside Prue to find the problem. There it was. An arrow was sticking through her side. There was no mistaking it, it was the arrow from a darklighter's crossbow. After her morning classes, she and JD had spent the afternoon scanning the section of the Book covering information about darklighters. However, they had no luck in id'ing the darklighter with the particular powers JD had described so they had returned to the manor in the hopes of getting some help from one of the sisters.
"Okay, everyone stand clear," Billie instructed to JD and Paige as she placed herself in the right position to move the arrow from Prue's injured body. With the wave of her two fingers, the arrow began to move slowly until the entire length of it moved through the flesh at the exit point and then Billie sent it flying in the direction of a wall.
"A darklighter," JD commented as he caught sight of the arrow embedded in the wall.
Paige quickly returned to her sister's side. "Yeah, that's right? And you would be?" She placed her hands over the gaping wound waiting for the healing energy to work.
"JD," he answered with sincerity. "I'm a whitelighter. I was Sam's charge, remember?"
Paige looked to the young man as the white light emanated from her hand. Billie remained at Prue's other side, a worrisome expression gracing her features. Paige briefly glanced over in her direction.
"The Book never leaves the house, Billie!" Paige chastised her niece.
"It was safe. It didn't leave my sight the entire time," she defended. "Besides, Piper knows I was using it!"
"That's not the point, Billie," Paige argued. "And I doubt Piper gave you permission to take it out of the Manor. I should know, once upon a time, I tried that very same stunt myself," she stressed.
Paige was beginning to feel her energy drain but with no sign of recovery in Prue. Why wasn't she healing? Now her own face was masked with a worrisome expression, one that matched Billie's.
"What's wrong?" Billie asked with a lot of concern. "Why isn't it working?" She looked to Paige for an answer.
"I don't know," Paige admitted. "It should be but it's not." Then she turned to address the young whitelighter standing in the background watching the scene. "Hey. I'm going to need you over here. Try using your healing energy and combine it together with mine," she instructed him.
JD began to object, putting his hands up in the air and backing away. "Hold up, I still haven't mastered the whole healing gig yet," he protested. "I wouldn't be much help to you."
Billie turned around, her eyes pleading with him. "JD, please? We can't let her die! Just try it," she insisted.
"Billie, I explained to you what happened before," he argued with her. "How can you ask me to make the same mistake twice? I can't heal and when she dies it'll be my fault," he reasoned irrationally.
"Listen you two, we don't have time to argue about this," Paige interjected sternly. "JD, are you going to help me or not?" Paige could feel herself weakening and she feared if she let go Prue might too.
"Please! She's my mother," Billie gave one final plea.
JD looked between Billie and Paige and then to the other woman lying on the attic floor. It was Billie's admission that eventually led to his decision to give in. "Fine. I'll give it a try. But I'm not making any promises." He walked over and knelt down beside Paige and extended his hands next to hers.
Slowly, a faint white light began to shine through JD's hands as that small amount of energy conjoined with what was left of Paige's. But it was no use. Paige was too spent and JD's healing power hadn't manifested itself enough to contribute. Prue's injury apparently required something more. What was going on? They needed Leo and they needed him fast. His elder-like healing ability was the only hope left.
"It's no use," Paige finally gave up, as the energy ceased to flow through her hands. JD backed off as well. "Something else is wrong but I don't know what it is."
"Sorry, but I warned you I wouldn't be much help," he declared once more, while standing back up on his feet. He looked across from him in Billie's direction and caught a glimpse of the disappointment that momentarily passed over her face.
"You tried. Thank you," Billie offered up.
"Billie, do you have your cell phone on you? Can I have it please?" Paige asked as she stretched her hand out in Billie's direction.
"Um, yeah, sure," Billie answered as she grabbed for the small cell phone shoved inside one of her pockets. "Here."
Paige reached over and took the phone. Then she proceeded to punch in Piper's number waiting for her to answer. They needed to locate Leo and find out what was wrong with Prue before she died. Finally, she heard Piper's voice from the other end.
"Piper?" she exclaimed frantically over the phone. "Get home. We've got a big problem!"
X
Piper sat in the examination room awaiting the return of the doctor.
The stress had been accumulating over the course of the past week or so and it was finally having an effect. She quickly came to the conclusion that she needed to calm herself and relax because none of it was worth losing her baby over.
"Okay, Piper," the doctor stated upon opening the door and walking back in. The woman was carrying one of Piper's medical charts in her hand. "You can get dressed. Your blood pressure is a little high so I'm going to prescribe something small to help with that. But if the spotting continues, please let me know," she concluded as she ripped off the written prescription from her notepad and handed it to Piper. "Other than that, you know the drill. Take it easy and stay off your feet for awhile."
Skeptically, Piper reached out for the piece of paper. "Medication? Is that really necessary?" she inquired with concern.
The doctor smiled. "Don't worry. It's a minimum dose and won't harm the baby," she reassured her. The doctor turned around to exit the room as Piper started to redress. However, at that exact moment, her cell phone rang too.
"Great. Perfect timing," Piper muttered to herself as she shoved the shirt over her head and reached inside her purse for her cell phone. "Paige?" she answered.
"Piper?" she heard Paige's frantic voice come over the phone. "Get home. We've got a big problem!" she exclaimed with a heavy breath.
"What's the matter now?" Piper asked, her face suddenly crestfallen.
"It's Prue," Paige declared. "We're at the manor, in the attic. A darklighter attacked and Prue was hit by an arrow. She's having a bad reaction and I can't heal her! We need Leo's help, any idea where he is?"
"What?" Piper exclaimed through the phone. She quickly thrust her legs into her pants, pulling it over her legs, before buttoning and zipping the front. "How is that even possible, Paige, the poison shouldn't be effecting her like that, she's just a witch, not a whitelighter," she argued logically. "Is the injury fatal?"
"No, at least I don't think so," Paige's voice rose. She was pacing the attic.
"Well, what do you mean you don't think so?" Piper interrogated.
"Look, Piper, I really don't know what's wrong, okay?" she continued on in a panicked state. "Could you just get home? I'm here with Billie but Leo's not answering my calls."
Piper grabbed for the rest of her belongings in a haste then she quickly made her way to the door. "Paige, Leo should be at magic school. Send Billie there to get him if he's not answering. I'm on my way right now," she declared firmly and ended the call.
While she left the doctor's office as quickly as her two legs could carry her, an overwhelming sense of doom settled in the pit of her stomach as her own panic came to life. She had tried to remain calm and rational on the phone with Paige but she felt anything but that with the news. How could this all be happening so suddenly? A few days ago, she was dealing with the return of her dead sister but now she could be losing her for real?
No, no. That's not going to happen. Prue's strong, she'll fight like hell.
She opened the car door and stepped into the driver's side sitting down. As she slammed the door shut, she reached for her cell phone a second time. This time she dialed Phoebe. However, all she got was voice mail.
She started the ignition and put the car into reverse, her phone cradled tightly between her head and shoulder. As she looked over her shoulder to back out of her parking space, she began leaving a message.
"Phoebe, as soon you get this message, get to the Manor. It's an emergency. Prue's hurt and in serious trouble," she finished and clicked the cell phone shut, throwing it onto the passenger's seat beside her.
As Piper pulled out onto the road, her final thought passed through her mouth.
"Hang on, Prue. We're coming!"
To Be Continued: Okay, I'm back and finally got through with this chapter, lol. I hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for the next chapter which should be coming soon.